Up to 6,000 fire service jobs to go

Up to 6,000 jobs are to be lost in the fire service over the next few years under radical modernisation plans, it has been revealed.

None of the job loses will be compulsory and the Government denied "scare" stories that up to 10,000 posts faced the axe.

Working practices will also be revamped and there will be big changes to the way the service operates in a bid to make it more efficient, and to help prevent fires and arson attacks.

The Fire Brigades Union has refused to be drawn on how it will respond to the changes, saying it would not make a knee-jerk reaction before it could analyse a Government White Paper on the future of the service.

But some activists have warned that the changes could trigger disputes at a local level.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said he hoped the White Paper would tackle the "shortcomings" revealed during the nine-month-long pay row.

"We are all grateful the dispute is over and we are all eager to draw a line under that. This is one of the ways we can start afresh."

Mr Prescott said details of the planned changes will be sent to all 55,000 fire-fighters and said he hoped everyone of them would study carefully.

Mr Prescott told MPs that 1,500 fire-fighters would leave the service through natural wastage over the next three years and a further 2,500 could follow in the following three years, adding that between 4,000 and 6,000 workers could leave the fire service.

The fire service will also change its name to the Fire and Rescue Service to reflect the work it is expected to, and does, carry out.